Update: Muni 'sick-out' delays will hit afternoon commute

A MUNI drivers' sick-out continued Monday afternoon after snarling the morning commute.

The planned work slow down was staged amid negotiations over a new labor contract. Two-thirds of the agency’s 600 buses were idle as a result of the protest.

It was unclear how long the sick-out would continue. "We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," said Paul Rose, a MUNI spokesman.

MUNI drivers rejected a new labor deal during a vote Friday. Under the proposal, MUNI workers would get a raise of 11.25 percent over two years and they would make a 7.5 percent pension payment now covered by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, according to reports.

The Monday sick-out was not publicized and caught most commuters by surprise Monday morning.

“Don’t even go down there,” a woman told people descending into Muni’s Castro Street station as she walked out. “The trains are at least 15 minutes late. Someone said MUNI is on strike.” She began to tap on her cell phone. “This is so stupid.”

MUNI workers are prohibited from striking. If the drivers' union does not accept management’s proposed contract the two sides must go before an arbitrator.

MUNI sent drivers a memo saying they would not get paid sick leave if they participated in the day's sick-out. "We advise employees not to engage in a 'sick-out' or any other unauthorized work stoppage," the memo read.

Commuters looking for alternative ways to get into work Monday morning found it costly. Uber, the on-demand ride service, said “demand is off the charts” and let potential riders know through its app that fares were double what they would normally be. A price quote given for a ride from Octavia and Market streets to the financial district — a distance of about three miles — was $30, for example.

Just as the sick-out left many commuters frustrated, it led to condemnations from some city officials.

“Today’s sick-out was not acceptable,” said David Chiu, a San Francisco supervisor. “MUNI drivers should work out their issues at the bargaining table, not by hurting MUNI riders who are trying to get to work or school or to the doctor’s office. MUNI drivers have hard jobs, but it’s no excuse for doing this without warning.”

The Board of Supervisors does not operate MUNI. The transit system is run by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which has its own seven-member Board of Directors appointed by the mayor.